West Virginia president says Big 12 expansion to 12 schools is ‘most likely’

Less than a week after Oklahoma president David Boren said that he hopes the Big 12 expands, another Big 12 president is on board with expansion, too, and it appears they aren’t alone. Here’s what West Virginia president E. Gordon Gee had to say to the Charleston Gazette-Mail:

“I think [the remarks] are fairly consistent with the thinking in the Big 12,” he said. “It’s nothing new. I’m in favor of expansion. I think he’s expressing what we’ve been thinking.”

Those words are significant. And so is this from Gee, a member of the Big 12’s expansion committee: “I think the notion of going to 12 [schools] is most likely.”

That’s now two of the three members on the Big 12’s expansion committee who support expansion. The third member is Baylor president Ken Starr.

If the Big 12 does expand, West Virginia would likely want an eastern neighbor. Gee told SB Nation that has been discussed before.

Gee: Would I like to have maybe another member of our conference in this part of the world? Probably so, but those are discussions that are going to take place, and certainly that is part of the consideration.

SB Nation: In those hypothetical conversations, the desire for a closer school is something you’ve mentioned to other university presidents?

Gee: Absolutely, and it has been mentioned to me.

Boren is “still frustrated” that the Big 12 missed out on Louisville, and the league has other options in the area that would make sense, including Cincinnati and UConn. The latter would be very helpful if the Big 12 starts a conference network, which Boren wants.

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